Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 2017-0, descending — sort earliest first

date event tags firsts refs
2017 Sep Arrests of Bahá'ís in Yemen drew international censure which led to a United Nations resolution, titled "Human Rights, Technical Assistance and Capacity-building in Yemen". It was introduced by Egypt on behalf of the Arab Group and supported by the entire UN Human Rights Council—calling for the immediate release of all Bahá'í detainees. The Council was the principal human rights body at the UN and was composed of 47 members who are elected by the General Assembly based on equitable geographic distribution.
  • At the time of the resolution there were seven Bahá'ís in prison in Yemen, most of whom are held in undisclosed locations and one of which has been detained for nearly four years due to repeatedly postponement court-hearings. Arrest warrants had been issued for over a dozen others, while a number of families had been forced to leave their homes. Developments in Yemen indicated that the authorities' prosecution of individuals had broadened in scope to be against the Bahá'í community in general and that efforts were being made to turn public opinion against all of the Bahá'ís under the premise that they are secretly plotting to stir unrest in Yemen.
  • The resolution established a Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts tasked with monitoring and reporting on the situation on human rights in Yemen. It was also mandated to carry out a comprehensive examination of all alleged violations and abuses of international human rights in the country. [BIC News 3 October 2017, UN Human Rights Council – 36th Session, Agenda Item 10]
    		• Persecution, Yemen; Persecution, Arrests; Persecution; United Nations; Human Rights; Geneva, Switzerland; Switzerland; Yemen
    2017 28 Sep The Universal House of Justice announced the launch of a new website, created in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, and Persian. This portal will be used to share news of the commemoration of the Twin Holy Days throughout the world.
  • Included on that portal was the Message from the Universal House of Justice date October 2017 regarding the celebration of the Bicentenary of the Birth of Bahá'u'lláh.
    		• Bahá'u'lláh, Birth of; Centenaries; Twin Holy days; Holy days; Websites; Internet; - Publications; Translation; Bahá'í World Centre
    2017 19 Sep Mahvash Sabet, one of the seven members of the former leadership group of the Bahá'ís in Iran known as the Yaran, was released after 10 years of confinement in Iran's notorious Evin and Raja'i Shahr prisons.
  • She had been arrested in March 2008 and was now 64 years old. Mrs. Sabet distinguished herself by the loving care and kindness she extended to her fellow prisoners. As has occurred with prisoners of conscience, writers, thought-leaders, and poets who have been wrongly imprisoned throughout history, the power of Mrs. Sabet's ideas and beliefs was only amplified by her persecution. The plight of its author attracted attention to this deeply moving collection of poetry, inspiring PEN International to feature Mrs. Sabet in a campaign to defend persecuted writers. Her poems also inspired a musical composition by award-winning composer Lasse Thoresen, performed at an international music festival in Oslo earlier this year. [BWNS1198]
  • See Prison Poems. For this publication she was recognized by PEN International at its 2017 International Writer of Courage.
  • See CNN article Writing to survive: Bahá'í woman's poetry was her best friend in Iranian jail.
    		•  Yaran; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Court cases; Human Rights; Evin Prison; Rajai Shahr prison; Prisons; Poetry; Lasse Thoresen; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Karaj; Iran
    2017 18 Sep The release of the film entitled World Peace - A Bahai Vision.
  • Produced by Radiant Century Productions, Executive Producer, Cyrus Parini.
    		•  Documentaries; Los Altos, CA; United States
    2017 1 - 2 Sep The opening of Cambodia's first "Local House of Worship" in Battambang, just over two years after the design of the building was unveiled in July 2015. News of this project was announced in 2012 along with other projects in Bihar Sharif, India; Matunda Soy, Kenya; Norte del Cauca, Colombia; and Tanna, Vanuatu.
  • The Mashriqul-Adhkár was designed by Phnom Penh-based architect Tang Sochet Vitou. It is situated on a 9-hectare property of which 1.5 hectares is used for the temple, an administrative building as well as gardens and ponds. The temple is a frequent topic of conversation among the local population. Even before its completion, it had galvanized action towards the betterment of the community and brought neighbours together. it will help provide for the spiritual needs of Cambodia's growing Bahá'í community which, according to the Ministry of Cult and Religion's most recent annual report, numbers about 12,000 although some adherents say the figure may now be closer to 20,000. Bahá'í communities were first recorded in the kingdom in the 1920s and since 1992 they have grown steadily with the help of aid workers and Asian immigrants.
  • In a letter dated 18 December 2014, the Universal House of Justice explained that a Bahá'í House of Worship is a "collective centre of society to promote cordial affection" and "stands as a universal place of worship open to all the inhabitants of a locality irrespective of their religious affiliation, background, ethnicity, or gender and a haven for the deepest contemplation on spiritual reality and foundational questions of life, including individual and collective responsibility for the betterment of society."
  • The dedication was marked by a two-day conference bringing together over 2,500 people from Battambang and every other region of Cambodia. A number of Cambodian dignitaries attended along with representatives of other Bahá'í communities in Southeast Asia. The Universal House of Justice was represented by Ms. Sokuntheary Reth who served on the Continental Board of Counsellors in Asia.
  • See the letter from the Universal House of Justice, dated 1 September, 2017, for the message to the gathered friends.

    Specifics

    		• Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Local; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Cambodia; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Design; Architecture; Architects; Tang Sochet Vitou; - Basic timeline, Expanded; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Quick facts; Dedications; Firsts, other; Gardens; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Battambang; Cambodia first Local Mashriqu’l-Adhkar in the world.
    2017 Sep The statement and compilation titled The Institution of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár was released by the Bahá'í World Centre.

    See also the message of 2014 to the Bahá'ís of Iran on the subject of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, prayer, and devotional meetings.

    		Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Prayer; Devotional gatherings; Bahá'í World Centre
    2017 25 Aug The announcement of the opening of the new Pilgrim Reception Centre.
  • The three-story stone structure, which is located immediately to the west of the Shrine of the Bab, was opened in time to receive the season's first pilgrim group in October, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Bahá'u'lláh. [BWNS1188]
    		•  Pilgrimage; Pilgrim Reception Centre; Pilgrim Houses; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Bahá'í World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; World Centre; Pilgrims; Bahá'í World Centre; Haifa, Israel
    2017 1 Aug The release of the film The Cost of Discrimination by Arash Azizi and Maziar Bahari which compared the social costs of discrimination in present day Iran to South Africa under the apartheid regime where, like in Iran, the Dutch Reform Church used their Holy Texts to justify the suppressive measures taken against people of "non-European" origin. Film; Documentaries; Cost of Discrimination; Arash Azizi; Maziar Bahári; Race (general); Apartheid; Discrimination; Christianity; Islam; Persecution, Iran; Persecution; South Africa; Iran
    2017 Jul The men who admitted to stabbing and killing Farhang Amiri, a 63-year-old father of four children, in September 2016 in Yazd on the street outside his home in public view were sentenced by a court in Yazd.
  • The two brothers immediately admitted to have been motivated by religious hatred. "He was a Baha'i, we killed him to buy paradise for our seven generations". The older brother was sentenced to just 11 years in prison and two years away from home. The court justified the sentence by stating that according to the Islamic penal code, the accused and the victim are not equal for the general purpose of retributive justice. This astonishing provision clearly and deliberately deprives non-Muslims of the legal right to seek justice on equal-footing with the country's Muslim majority.
  • The younger man was sentenced to half of his brother's sentence for aiding in the murder. [BWNS1182]
    		•  Farhang Amiri; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Deaths; Persecution, Court cases; Court cases; Human Rights; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Yazd, Iran; Iran
    2017 18 Jun The plan for the design of the local Mashriqul-Adhkár in Tanna, Vanuatu was announced. Ashkan Mostaghim of Mostaghim & Associates, a firm from Sydney, Australia, was chosen as the Temple's architect. His design was on the shortlist for the Continental Mashriqul-Adhkár in Santiago. [BWNS1175]
  • No less than a hundred design ideas had been offered for the Temple. [Ridván Message, 2014]
  • In the same message, the House of Justice highlighted Tanna as an example of a community where an entire population is moving toward a vision of material and spiritual prosperity, for which Baha'is around the world are striving.
    		•  Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Vanuatu; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Local; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Design; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Architecture; Architects; Ashkan Mostaghim; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Tanna; Vanuatu
    2017 Jun The Interfaith Rainforest Initiative was launched as an international, multi-faith alliance that works to bring moral urgency and faith-based leadership to global efforts to end tropical deforestation. They provide a platform for religious leaders to work hand-in-hand with indigenous peoples, governments, civil society organizations and businesses on actions that protect rainforests and safeguard the indigenous peoples that serve as their guardians.

    The initiative was launched in June of 2017 at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway in a first-of-its-kind summit of Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu and Taoist religious leaders, climate scientists, rainforest experts and indigenous peoples' representatives from Brazil, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, Meso-America and Peru.

  • Their website.
  • On World Environment Day, June 5th, 2020, resource guides, perspectives from ten religious traditions, were launched. The Bahá'í Faith Toolkit, a toolkit on Forest Protection is available in PDF in English, Portuguese and in Spanish. [webpage on the Parliament of the World's Religions site]
  • See BW33 (04-05)p117-133.
    		•  Environment; Parliament of the Worlds Religions; Oslo, Norway; Norway
    2017 Jun - Nov In Yemen an outbreak of cholera killed 2.100 and affected almost 900,000 others. Yemen, Recent history; Cholera; Yemen
    2017 15 May Hundreds of Yemenis gathered in front of the Criminal Prosecution building in the capital city of Sana'a. They were denouncing the arrest of Yemeni citizens of the Bahá'í faith and calling for their release. The demonstrations were not led by the usual human rights crew but by tribal leaders of some of the most influential tribes in the country, prominently that of the Bani Mattar.
  • What brought the tribes out was the arrest of Sheikh Walid Saleh Ayyash, who has the distinction of being both a prominent tribal figure and one of the 2,000 or so Yemenis who practice the Bahá'í faith. It was Ayyash's faith that led to his arrest on April 19, as he was driving from the city of Ibb to the port of Hudaydah. Along with another Bahá'í who was in the car, Ayyash was arrested by Houthi forces and transferred to the Hudaydah prison. A statement by the tribal leaders called Ayash "a distinguished personality among the Arab tribes … well-known for his integrity and wisdom, for his love, loyalty and devotion to his country, for his tolerance and respect for the government and the law."
  • The leaders had previously met with Khalid Al-Mawari, the Houthi government's Chief of Special Criminal Prosecution. He had promised them that Ayyash would be transferred to Sana'a. When that failed to happen, they organized the demonstration. [TRACKPERSIA 25 Aug 2017]
    		•  Sheikh Walid Saleh Ayyash; Khalid Al-Mawari; Persecution, Yemen; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Human Rights; Sanaa; Yemen
    2017 12 May The Bahá'í International Community launched a global campaign calling for the immediate release of the seven Iranian Bahá'í leaders, unjustly imprisoned for nine years as of the 14th of May.
  • The theme of the campaign, "Not Another Year," was intended to raise awareness about the seven women and men unjustly arrested in 2008 and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment for their religious beliefs. This sentence was reduced to 10 years in 2015 after the overdue application of a new Iranian Penal Code. [BWNS1167]
    • The official video of the Bahá'í International Community to commemorate the 9th anniversary of the arrest and imprisonment of seven Iranian Bahá'í leaders - Not Another Year.
    		•  Yaran; Court cases; Human Rights; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Bahá'í International Community; - BIC statements; Iran
    2017 5 May The film Changing the World, One Wall at a Time was premiered in Harlem on the 5th of May and in Los Angeles on the 5th of June. The film evolved from shorter videos that were posted from the "Education is not a Crime" campaign and was made by Iranian-Canadian filmmaker Maziar Baharie. [BWNS1173]
  • The film Changing the World, One Wall at a Time.
    		•  Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Education; Persecution; Documentaries; Education is not a Crime; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Changing the World, One Wall at a Time; Harlem, New York, NY; New York, USA; Los Angeles, CA; California, USA; United States
    2017 May The International Teaching Centre published The Five Year Plan 2011-2016: Summary of Achievements and Learning that had been prepared under their supervision. It elaborated on the accomplishments of the Five Year Plan under the headings: Advancing the Process of Entry by Troops, Social Action, Participating in the Discourses of Society, and Developments at the Bahá'í World Centre. Five Year Plan; - Plans; Bahá'í World Centre
    2017 28 Apr Amnesty International sent a Joint Public Statement to the Huthi-Saleh authorities in Yemen calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Hamid Haydara. The document can be downloaded from the Amnesty International site. Yemen; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Human Rights; Amnesty International; Yemen
    2017 25 Apr The formation of the human rights organization, "The Yemeni Initiative for Defending Bahá'í Rights". [Facebook page] Persecution, Yemen; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Human Rights; Yemen
    2017 19 Apr Houthi-Saleh political security officers arrested Walid Ayyash, Mahmood Humaid, and Badi'u'llah Sanai, all members of the Bahá'í community, at a checkpoint near the city border of Hudiedah. Sanai was released one week later, but was re-arrested in May. All three remain detained, their whereabouts unknown. [UN News Centre 22 May 2017]
  • In total over 25 Bahá'ís, including many prominent members of the Bahá'í community who assisted with organization of community affairs at the national level were arrested around the time. In October it was reported that eight Bahá'ís were still detained but the place of detention was not known. [BWNS1215]
    		• Persecution, Yemen; Persecution, Arrests; Persecution; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Yemen
    2017 3 Mar The publication of Toward Prosperity The Role of Women and Men in Building a Flourishing World Civilization, the Bahá'í International Community's contribution to the 61st United Nations Commission on the Status of Women which took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 13 to 24 March 2017 as a follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly entitled "Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century". [BIC Statements] Toward Prosperity; New York, USA; New York, USA
    2017 23 Feb Plans for the construction of the local Bahá'í House of Worship in Agua Azul, a village in Norte del Cauca, Colombia, reached an important milestone. Construction officially began in January after building contracts were formalized with a local firm in the region. [BWNS1153]
  • Concurrent with the building the House of Worship has been the reinforcement of activities that contributed to the spiritual and material progress of communities in and around Norte del Cauca. Inspired by the Temple, these community-building activities multiplied, and a spirit of prayer, devotion, and participation begun to increasingly permeate the area.
  • Parallel to this, the community undertook a reforestation project, designated for a "Bosque Nativo" or native forest on an 11-hectare piece of land adjacent to the Temple site to reintroduce native vegetation which had been decimated by years of monoculture plantations of sugarcane.
  • For pictures see BWNS1153
  • For development report dated the 14th of May, 2017 see BWNS1168.
    		•  Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Colombia; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Agua Azul; North Caucasus (Ciscaucasia); Colombia news.bahai.org/story/1047[BWNS1047]
    2017 15 Feb The Bahá'í International Community announced the launch of a website for the Bahá'ís of Iran at Bahaisofiran.org. "Although the official website of the worldwide Bahá'í community had recently been made available in Persian and a number of other languages, the new "Baha'is of Iran" website was the first website of the Bahá'í community of Iran. This development was especially important at a time when a large volume of anti-Bahá'í propaganda had proliferated in that country. Since 2013 alone, more than 20,000 such pieces had been disseminated in Iran's media." [BWNS1152, The Baha'i Question Revisited]
  • Web sites for other national communities can be found at A Global Community.
    		•  Websites; Internet; - Publications; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Bahá'í International Community; - BIC statements; Iran
    2017 18 Jan The announcement of the publication of Days of Remembrance: Selections from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh for Bahá'í Holy Days by the Bahá'í World Centre. It is also made available in electonic format from Bahá'í Reference Library at Days of Remembrance: Selections from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh for Baha'i Holy Days. [BWNS1148] Days of Remembrance (book); Holy days; * Bahá'u'lláh, Writings of; - Publications; Translation; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Bahá'í World Centre
    2017 7 Jan The body of Ahmad Fanaiyan was found with numerous burns all over his body in Semnan, Semnan Province. He was a respected and elderly man. [Persian-Bahá'í1147 Persecution, Iran; Ahmad Fanaiyan; Semnan; Iran
    2017 Jan The publication of Training Institutes: Attaining a Higher Level of Functioning by the International Teaching Centre. This comprehensive document prepared by the International Teaching Centre in January 2017 provides an in depth analysis of the guidance about the main sequence of courses, the junior youth spiritual empowerment program, the program for the spiritual education of children and the processes involved in developing institutional capacity. Training Institutes; * Institute process; - Publications; - International Teaching Centre, Publications; Bahá'í World Centre

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